If this is the framing, we should probably reckon with how many avenues for democratic expression and political recourse have dwindled over the last 25 years.
Marching? If you're in the Tea Party, no problem. If you stand with Black Lives Matter, well... vox.com/the-big-idea/2…
Voting? Gerrymandering is so bad that Dems will need a landslide this fall just to capture a slim majority in the House: npr.org/2018/03/28/597…
Even then, voters have to overcome the raft of new restrictions passed by GOP legislatures in the last 10 years, especially after Shelby County: nytimes.com/2018/06/23/us/…
Suing? Good luck beating qualified immunity if your rights are violated. Or overcoming the new hurdles that SCOTUS keeps adding to class-action lawsuits. If you can afford a lawyer, of course.
Speaking? Sure, especially if you're rich. Citizens United and McCutcheon make it easier than ever for their voices to be heard. If you want something even shadier, SCOTUS is all but legalizing public corruption: theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
It's not a coincidence that lawmakers don't reflect folks' views. Americans broadly support pathways to citizenship, universal background checks, and legalizing weed, for example. Congress? Hostile or indifferent to all three.
Meanwhile, if you're a fan of financial deregulation, hoo boy, do I have a national deliberative body for you: vox.com/policy-and-pol…
I could go on and on. Two of the five presidents in my lifetime didn't enter the Oval Office with a majority of the popular vote, for example.
It'd be great if folks could get things done with normal avenues of democratic participation alone. It'd also be great if those avenues weren't steadily fading away.
